If you download the form and wish to email it as an attachment the email address is: ncu@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

You should title your email: ‘GAR, airfield registration, name of airfield, postcode of airfield (if known)’.

Despite making these services available, the UK Border Force strongly encourages pilots to file their GAR forms online. You are much less likely to have a GAR submission go astray if you file online.

Note that you will not get any confirmation of receipt of your email using this UK Border Force service. All GAR forms sent by email or FAX to the UK Border Force NCU are processed and distributed manually to the relevant UK Border Force and Police Force. There have been instances where GAR forms have not been seen by the relevant agencies on arrival, so you are advised to keep a printed copy of your completed form and email with you on your flight.

2. FREE to AOPA Members

In the absence of a free service paid for by the UK Home Office, AOPA has sponsored a free basic service for the benefit of all GA Pilots for the past 3 years. However, the basic service has not been usable for all our members because of restrictions on aircraft type.

No other GA Organisation has stepped up to share the cost of making the service free to GA Pilots on private flights and the majority of submissions using our service are not AOPA members. Understandably, this raises questions from our members.

Since the start of our sponsored service, there has been a huge growth in the use of Flight Planning and Flight Operations systems/services such as SkyDemon and RocketRoute, which include access to the OnlineGAR.com service for many GA Pilots. Therefore the overall need for AOPA to make this basic service available free to everyone is lessened.

The actual cost of submitting a GAR directly through OnlineGAR.com is low in relation to the cost of a flight and if you don't wish to use a paid service you can still submit a GAR at no cost as above.

We have now decided to sponsor a fully inclusive service through OnlineGAR.com that is FREE for current AOPA Members only. The service is FREE for Private Flights by Individual AOPA members in aircraft or helicopters, single or multi-engine, up to a maximum of 6 pob.

Note that you can only access the AOPA OnlineGAR service from the members only Member Benefits page on this website.

Current members of a non-UK AOPA may access this AOPA members service by using the Sign Up link on this website. When you Sign Up, so long as you have completed all the non-UK AOPA member information, including giving permission for AOPA UK to verify your membership with your National AOPA, and your membership is verified your user account will be upgraded and you will be notified by email. This will be completed as soon as possible, but you should Sign Up in advance of requiring to use the OnlineGAR service.

3. Paid or Subscription - Commercial Service Providers

While the UK Home Office have set up an electronic distribution system that processes electronic GAR'sinternally to all the relevant UK agencies they have not as yet set up a free portal for the online completion and submission of GAR's. Instead, the UK Home Office allowed the establishment of a commercial service securely linked to their systems, but give no financial support to the system operated by OnlineGAR.com. Thus it operates as a paid for service, which you can subscribe to going to www.onlinegar.com.

Alternatively, some other Flight Planning Services include GAR submissions:

SkyDemon use the OnlineGAR.com service which is included free with a SkyDemon subscription.

RocketRoute submit via their own email form and you do not get confirmation of receipt.

Some Fixed Base Operators and Handling Agents will submit GAR's as part of their service.

Emergency General Aviation Report (GAR) Telephone Line

Emergency General Aviation Report (GAR) Telephone Line (0845 723 1110) OR (SWITCHBOARD: 0300 123 2012) : If you need to submit or amend a GAR for Border Force purposes in an emergency situation, you may call the GAR Emergency Telephone Line on +44 (0) 845 723 1110 OR Switchboard: +44 (0) 300 123 2012 from abroad.

The emergency telephone line may only be used for a flight that is:

not required to report to the police under the Terrorism Act 2000; and

outside the GAR reporting timescales.

An emergency may be described as:

medical emergency of a pilot/passenger; or

air ambulance with critical passenger; or other emergencies requiring a change to information contained within an already submitted GAR; or

last minute changes to a submitted GAR, only when changes to online version are not possible.

Other countries require GENDEC's to be submitted either in advance or on arrival to the relevant Authority, normally Customs or Police. Sometimes these are only required at certain airports of arrival. We suggest that, if there are no sources of country specific GENDEC's, you take a printed copy of your UK GAR form. We are aware of the following online sources for GENDEC's (please let us know if you are aware of any others):

Alderney & Guernsey (Note OnlineGAR.com provide a pre-filled form with a GAR submission)Ireland (Note OnlineGAR.com provide a pre-filled form with a GAR submission)Jersey (Note OnlineGAR.com provide a pre-filled form with a GAR submission)Netherlands (Note OnlineGAR.com transmit your GAR details to Dutch Customs)